Letters and Love
by coonassblondie
Summary: I wrote this based on a prompt table, it was originally entitled "Hermione and Charlie". Charlie comes home to the Burrow for a holiday and discovers feeling for a certain bushy haired bookworm. Follows their complete relationship. Lemony in places.
1. Part 1

**A/N:** I wrote this based on a prompt table I found online. There are 30 total, still working on the last part at the moment. The prompts range from T to NC-17, so don't read with care!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of it, not making any money either.

* * *

1. Bath

Hermione walked slowly into her room, shut and warded the door, then sighed. It had been such a long day. She liked her job at the ministry well enough, working in the Magical Creatures division. She had always had a soft spot for creatures that couldn't speak for themselves, as evidenced by her foray into Elvish welfare at Hogwarts. She had long since given up on S.P.E.W., realizing that the elves were more than happy serving their families, and moved onto what she hoped would be bigger and better things. However, being the low man on the totem pole, she got stuck with all the tedious filing and paperwork, along with the office budgeting. It was tedious on good days, and on days like today, it was downright monotonous.

_A bath, that's what I need, _she thought to herself, as she headed toward the loo, stripping down as she went and flinging clothes off her person as she walked toward the tub. As she lowered herself into the hot water, she could feel her muscles relax one by one as her head lolled back onto the edge of the tub. She couldn't help a small smile as a thought occurred to her,

_I need a good shag._

* * *

2. Beach

Charlie strolled slowly along the shore of the Danube, oblivious to the others around him. There was no other way to put it, he was homesick. He loved his dragons, sure, but one could only have so many one-sided conversations. The blokes at the Reserve were nice enough, but he had never made any particularly close friends, even after several years of dragon training. What he desperately wanted was a hug, and blushed at the thought. The manly, rugged dragon wrangler needed affection? Bollocks! As he grinned to himself and plopped down into the soft sand to watch the water roll by him, he thought smugly to himself,

_What I need is a good fuck._

* * *

3. Blush

Charlie walked out of the floo at the Burrow and proceeded to brush himself off and look around the sitting room. He took a deep breath and felt his face break into a broad smile. _Home_ he thought to himself as he heard the tell-tale clattering in the kitchen. Another sound accosted his ears before he could step toward the kitchen to surprise his mum. A soft feminine moan came from the sofa, whoever it was hadn't noticed him step out of the fireplace. His grin turned to a scowl when he saw two heads, one with the familiar red locks, and another with jet-black hair sticking in twenty different directions. He leaned over the couch and said in as intimidating a voice as he could muster…

"Hi Ginny."

The two teenagers, who had been caught mid-snog, both looked up and blushed the deepest red. Ginny cleared her throat before replying in a squeak.

"Hi Charlie! What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come for a short visit. I had some vacation time that I had to take." He replied, crossing his arms over his broad chest and scowling at The-Boy-Who-Was-Snogging-His-Sister. "Harry."

"Uh..hi Charlie. What a surprise." Harry replied sheepishly, his face starting to look like a tomato. "Nice to see you again."

Charlie's face broke out into another wide grin that didn't quite reach his eyes, and replying, "Nice to see you too. Perhaps we can get to know each other a bit better, eh?" He held out his hand. Harry took it, and Charlie was pleased to notice the kid had a nice, firm grip. Perhaps he wouldn't be so bad for Ginny after all.

* * *

4. Candlelight

Charlie took another deep breath and smiled as he watched his mum light the big candelabra in the middle of the dinner table. A veritable feast had been lain before the family, in celebration of his visit. After his mum had smothered him in hugs and kisses, she had immediately set to flooing every Weasley child in the country and making a huge dinner, rubbing tears away from her cheeks as she laughed happily.

Charlie glanced around the table at his family. Fleur was feeding bits of food off her fork to baby Victoire while Bill grinned over her shoulder, making faces, causing the little blonde-headed girl to giggle. George and Angelina were grinning at Bills antics and occasionally stealing glances at each other, Angie resting one hand on her huge belly. Ron was steadily filling his plate with one hand, the other other arm slung possessively around his girlfriend Luna's shoulders, while she watched him with an amused expression. Harry sat at the end of the table, next to Mr. Weasley, and across from Ginny, every time he looked up he was offer her a small secretive smile, then catch Charlie's eye, and blush a deep red, remembering their previous meeting that afternoon.

"Mum, Where's Perce and Penelope?" Charlie asked, noticing the three empty chairs between them as she sat at the opposite end of the table from her husband, "and who's the other chair for?"

"Poor Penny isn't feeling too well, so Percy stayed home to take care of her, he said he's sorry he missed you, perhaps he would before the end of the week. The other chair is for Hermione, who should be here any time now," Mrs. Weasley replied with a twinkle in her eye that didn't bode well for Charlie's bachelorhood.

A few seconds later, the floo sounded and Hermione stepped into the kitchen, cleaning the soot off her Ministry robes with her wand.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone! They had me doing paperwork late again, ugh." Hermione grinned at her surrogate family. Her parents had been killed by rogue death eaters shortly after she had reinstated their memories. It had hurt deeply, and the Weasley's had taken her in as one of their own, for which she was deeply appreciative.

"So, what's the big dinner for…oh, hello, Charlie!! When did you get here?"

"This afternoon," he replied, trying to swallow the lump that had risen into his throat. He hadn't seen his baby brother's best female friend since the Quidditch World Cup, and boy had she grown since then. Her hair was no longer the bushy birds nest, but a cascade of brown ringlets he could almost feel running through his fingers. Her even white teeth no longer held a touch of overbite, and her wiry frame had filled out into womanly curves. He didn't miss the grin on his mum's face when he patted the seat next to him and added,

"Have a seat and tuck in."

* * *

5. Caress

As they ate their dinner among the raucous group, both Hermione and Charlie stayed relatively quiet, each lost in their thoughts. Hermione was surprised at the invitation to sit next to the handsome redhead. As she cast yet another covert glance at the man next to her, she noticed that he was a bit shorter than his brothers, but still head and shoulders taller than her. That was a good thing, she thought, she couldn't stand the thought of being with someone shorter than her. His skin was a bit darker than the others' also, from working in the sun so much. He had the trademark Weasley freckles, of course, but they were so numerous that they almost ran together, and when he looked at her, she noticed that he had bright green eyes, almost the color of the Mediterranean.

Charlie noticed her trying to secretly glance at him and grinned when he locked eyes with her chocolate brown stare. He grinned when she unabashedly ran her eyes across his face, pausing at his lips, and across the expanse of his chest, stopping her downward trek when she noticed a bit of color poking out his rolled up shirt sleeve. She raised her eyes to his and quirked an eyebrow as she asked in an almost breathless voice,

"Is that a tattoo?"

"Yes, it is. Would you like to see it?" He whispered, not wanting his mother to overhear. His mum would have kittens if she knew he had gotten inked on a trip to Bucharest earlier that year. He only had the one yet, but he foresaw more in the future, especially if they were going to receive reactions like this from beautiful girls.

"I…yes, I would. But not right now…after dinner," she replied, grinning and glancing briefly at Mrs. Weasley.

"That's a good idea, Hermione." He replied, turning back to his dinner plate.

After pudding, the family all gathered in the sitting room again to listen to the Wizarding Wireless for a while before heading off to their respective bedrooms or homes. Half an hour later, Mrs. Weasley, who was the last remaining family member still awake, stretched, gave a large, obviously fake yawn and a meaningful stare at her husband, announced she was hitting the sack. As the eldest Weasley's headed up the stairs toward their bedroom, Charlie cast a silencing charm on the stairwell, so that he and Hermione wouldn't be bothered.

"So, you wanted to see this…" he grinned, pulling his shirt off. Hermione almost gasped when she got an eyeful of the rippling muscles of his shoulders and chest, running her eyes hungrily over his well-toned six pack. Yes, she definitely wanted to see _that_.

Charlie scooted closer to Hermione on the couch and reached behind her head. Before she could ask what he was doing, she felt the clip that had held her hair out of her face come loose and the ringlets fall around her shoulders.

"If you get to touch, so do I." Charlie whispered huskily into her ear, the vibrations of his voice going straight to the crotch of her knickers. She almost groaned when she felt his hand run through her hair and heard him whisper "so soft."

Hermione turned more toward him as she ran her fingers across his chest and down his stomach, caressing the soft red hairs she felt there, leading in a treasure trail down his abdomen to disappear into his jeans. She smiled softly as he groaned quietly and his nipples hardened. She couldn't help but lean up to whisper in his ear "So hard."


	2. Part 2

**A/N: **Here's the next part, again various ratings from T to NC-17, read with care.

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own any of it, and still not making any money!

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6. Chosen

Hermione laughed softly when she felt rather than heard the soft growl come from Charlie's throat. She ran her hands across the expanse of his shoulders before pulling his face down to hers to place a chaste kiss on his lips. Charlie was surprised to feel two soft warm lips on his own, but he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed harder against her mouth, running his tongue across his bottom lip, pleading for entry. She gasped at the hot contact and hummed softly as she felt his tongue slowly exploring her mouth, gently massaging her back as he snogged her with all the passion he could muster. She pulled back from him slightly, lips swollen and red from the extra rush of blood. She grinned as she placed soft, wet kisses up his neck to his ear, which she suckled, then bit gently, causing him to grunt softly before whispering in his ear,

"I'm staying in Percy's old room. You know where to find me. It's your choice, Charlie."

Charlie swiveled his head around to look in her eyes so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. At his questioning gaze, she winked boldly before standing up and heading toward the stairwell. She stopped at the base of the stairs and shot him a steamy look over her shoulder before flouncing up the stairs to her bedroom.

Charlie sat and stared at his hands, debating with himself. She was obviously willing, but she was his brother's best friend. She was almost 7 years younger than him, but obviously very mature for her age. He sighed before standing up to pace and decide. He knew he didn't have much time for debating with himself, before she would give up, wank, and fall asleep. He looked down at his rock hard cock and groaned. There's was only one thing to do.

He ran up the stairs as fast as he could toward Percy's (no, Hermione's) room and opening the door a crack to see if she was still awake. A small lantern was lit, casting a glow across the figure lying in the bed. He almost came when he saw her, laying across the bed, wearing nothing but a set of red lace brassiere and knickers, her head propped up on one elbow and her hair falling across her shoulders. He shut the door before casting locking and silencing charms on it, and was next to her in two steps, kneeling next to the bed, drinking in the sight of her. At her questioning glance, he licked his lips and replied,

"I've chosen, Hermione. I want you. So much."

* * *

7. Clandestine

"Took you long enough." Hermione mumbled against Charlie's mouth as he caught her lips in another steaming kiss, one hand running through her hair, the other unlacing his boots as fast as humanly possible. He toed the shoes off and kicked them to the far corner of the room, then made short work of his socks, then his belt and jeans. Hermione grinned when she glanced at his boxers.

"Smiley faces, Charlie?" she asked, an amused tint to her voice. He shrugged nonchalantly before replying with his own grin, "Why not?"

_Those certainly make me happy_, she thought to herself before hooking her finger into the waistband and pulling him down to the bed on top of her, meeting his lips again, running her hand across his shoulders, down his back and over his silk covered arse.

Charlie ran his hands up her sides, hooking his hands underneath her shoulders and propping himself up on his elbows, so as to not smother her. He looked deep into her eyes before pulling up a bit and asking gently,

"Hermione, are you sure you want this?"

"Of course, Charlie," she answered just as gently, "why wouldn't I? I did invite you up here, didn't I?"

"Yes, but I figured you more for the relationship kind of bird, not for clandestine meetings in my brother's old bed." All of a sudden, he got a mental picture of a small Percy fast asleep and him leaning down to tuck him in, "Well, that was as good as a cold shower," he laughed, shaking his head a bit.

"I'll have you know this is actually my bed," Hermione grinned and harrumphed at him. "I moved it from my parents' house, after they…" She couldn't finish the sentence, the memories still hurt too bad. She felt a lone tear slide down her temple into her hair. Charlie caught it on his thumb, and raised it to his mouth before rolling off of her and kneeling by the bed again,

"Hermione, we shouldn't do this. We barely know each other. I think we both got caught up in the moment, and later, I would feel like I used you. I don't want that." He stated, his deep voice husky, as if trying to shake off the last bit of randiness.

"You wouldn't be using me, Charlie." She replied, pouting a bit, "I really do want you, but perhaps you're right," She rolled onto her side and caressed his cheek, rubbing her thumb across his lips. He started to stand when she grabbed his hand,

"Stay with me, Charlie. Please? I don't…I don't want…"

"What don't you want, sweetheart?" he asked her quietly, kneeling down again and stroking her cheek, "tell me."

"I don't want to be alone." She replied, the tears starting to burn the backs of her eyelids.

"You don't have to be, Hermione," Charlie replied as he lay next to her, pulling the quilt over both of them and pulling her close to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her, laying her head on his chest, "I'll stay with you." He whispered, kissing the top of her head gently.

"Thank you Charlie, I'm so sorry…" she whispered into his chest, starting to tremble.

"You don't have to be sorry," Charlie replied, rubbing her back gently, drawing small designs with his fingers, "You don't have to be brave. Mum told me all about it, let it all out, baby girl." He continued to whisper soothing words to her as she sobbed against his chest, eventually crying herself to sleep.

He sighed to himself as he gently turned her over so he could lie on his back, rest his head on the pillow, then rest her head on his shoulder. As he drifted off to sleep he couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

8. Courtesan

Charlie looked around him, he was obviously dreaming. When he glanced down at himself, he was wearing a set of lacy maroon dress robes, very similar to the ones that had embarrassed Ron so badly at the Yule Ball. Charlie was, oddly enough, not the least bit embarrassed, knowing that his codpiece was showing and was the envy of every gentleman and the desire of every lady present. The people in the assembly were rather dull, however, and he found himself taking his leave early and wandering around the streets of London. He had turned into an alleyway to apparate home when he saw it, a flash of curly brown hair. He picked up his pace to find out who it was, perhaps a courtesan that he could have his way with for the right price. When he turned the corner, he caught her eyes, a deep chocolate brown, before she disappeared with a crack…

Charlie's eyes flew open at the noise…he heard a rumble of thunder and realized the storm outside must've woken him. He groaned when he saw Hermione curled up next to him. Preferring not to embarrass her in the morning, or get caught by his brothers or worse, his mum, he gently slipped his arm out from underneath her and kissed her on the forehead before standing. He spied a stack of blank parchment and a few quills on her desk and sat to write her a note before quietly leaving her room to head to his own, where he flopped down on his bed and pondered his dream. It was…strange, to say the least. He shrugged it off and rolled over, but sleep was elusive the rest of the night, and he was in the shower by the crack of dawn.

* * *

9. Dress

Hermione squinted her eyes against the light streaming onto her face from the window. She always woke early, but generally had a hard time getting started. She groaned as she flipped over onto her stomach and buried her face into the pillow and took a deep breath. The pillow smelled like...Charlie. Hermione had always been a light sleeper, and she had felt the pressure on the bed shift when Charlie went back to his room the night before. _My feelings will not be hurt. He's just more comfortable in his own bed, that's all._ She continued to give herself little words of encouragement about Charlie sneaking off in the middle of the night as she tossed and turned, trying to shake off her drowsiness.

"Get up, Sleepyhead! I know you're awake in there!" A decidedly male voice called from the other side of the door, banging on the door as he yelled. "Mrs. Weasley says breakfast is ready! Get up, get up, get up! Rise and Shine! The early bird gets the worm! Well, the last pancake in our case!"

Hermione finally threw her legs over the side of the bed, rubbed her eyes roughly and threw on a dressing gown over her lingerie before flinging the door open to meet a pair of laughing emerald eyes.

"Bloody hell, Harry, how can you be so bloody chipper in the morning?" She asked, attempting to stifle a large yawn behind her hand, holding her dressing gown shut with the other.

Harry just chuckled and yelled over his shoulder, "Oi, Charlie! I got two 'bloody's' out of her today!"

Charlie, who had been in the shower, walked out of the loo door with a towel wrapped around his narrow hips, holding it shut with his right hand. He glanced at Hermione for a few seconds, before he looked at the floor and blushed.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing, Harry? I'd prefer to stay on her good side." Charlie mumbled at his feet before beating a hasty retreat to his and Bill's old bedroom to dress.

Harry just shrugged and gave Hermione a small peck on the cheek before telling her, with a cheeky grin "you'd better come on, before Ron eats everything in sight. Both of you." Hermione nodded quietly at him, barely hearing what he said about Ron, her attention focused on the closed door of Charlie's room. As Harry took off town the stairs, whistling a jaunty tune, Hermione turned back into what she had come to know as her bedroom, and saw a folded piece of parchment bearing her name on her bureau. She picked it up, her curiousity winning out over her caution, and saw that her name was written on it in a small, obviously masculine scrawl. She unfolded it and began to read.

* * *

10. Eternity

_Hermione,_

_As I sit here and pen this note to you, I'm watching you sleep. You look so sweet when you sleep, did you know that? Your hair falls over your shoulder in a certain way that make my hand itch to brush it back, at the risk of waking you. Your eyelashes fall across your cheeks and there is a small smile on your lips, indicating pleasant dreams. I wonder if you are dreaming of me, or perhaps us? That leads me to wonder if there _could_ be an "us"? I realize we know very little of each other, and there is a bit of an age gap, but we are both adults and mature enough to make our own decisions. I would love to get to know you better, both inside and out. I'd love to see your eyes when you smile every day, but I'm not a fool. Circumstances are against us, at any rate, because I don't imagine you'll want to leave the ministry any time soon, and I couldn't leave my babies (and by that, I mean the dragons!)_

_I suppose now you're wondering if that I felt this way about you, why did I sneak off in the middle of the night? Simply put, I was embarassed. If you'll pardon the rude expression, I came into you're room expecting nothing but a shag, with no commitments and no regrets, but now I realize that I could never do that you. Not the least because Ron and Harry would both castrate me, but you're worth more than that. Call me a coward, but I didn't want either of us to be embarrassed or uncomfortable this morning, and if we woke in the same bed, one or both would be inevitable. I hope we have a chance to learn more about each other while I'm on holiday, and hopefully become more. If it suits you, you can write back and slip the parchment under my door, I keep it warded so there will be no prying eyes, I promise, or if you'd prefer a more direct approach, I'm willing to listen when you're ready to talk to me. If you're angry and aren't willing to forgive me for sneaking off on you, I completely understand, I just hope you can accept this shoddy apology letter. _

_Yours,_

_Charlie_

Hermione read through the letter three times, turned it over to see if there was anything on the back, only to see her name scrawled in the corner where he had folded the parchment. She huffed and plopped onto the bed. What to do now? She had been ready to admit to herself that Charlie had left because he just wanted a shag and she didn't give it up, but rather sobbed on his chest like a child. It was disconcerting to find out that what she thought his intentions were were totally off the mark, and that he had only left so they could both save face in the morning. She imagined what Harry's reaction would have been if it had been Charlie that flung the door open that morning instead of her, that would have been so _embarassing_.

She read through the first paragraph again, and smiled softly to herself. So he was watching her sleep? And he was wondering about their relationship? It was undoubtedly one of the sweetest things she had ever heard..er, read, but he was correct and assuming that it would have to be a long distance relationship, and those rarely ever worked out. But, by Merlin, she was a Gryffindor for a reason, and so was he! They would _make_ it work! However, they had to get past being acquaintances first. She sat on her bed and pondered the contents of her letter for what felt like an eternity before folding it gently and putting it in the top drawer of her bureau and warding the drawer shut. She heard some commotion from the kitchen underneath her, and her stomach growled, reminding her that breakfast was ready. She grinned to herself, what better way to get to know someone than to share a meal with them?


	3. Part 3

**A/N: **Here's parts 11-16, there's 30 in total, still working on the last part.

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own any of it, still not making any money either. Just ask my student loan company.

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11. Games

As Hermione and Ginny finished up the breakfast dishes, the chore made quite a bit shorter with some wand waving on Hermione's part, Ron, George, Charlie and Harry surrounded them and pulled them almost bodily out into the back yard for an impromptu game of quidditch.

"How about three on three?" Ginny asked, excited. She always loved having an opportunity to play quidditch with her brothers, since she didn't see any of them for a large part of the year, Ron having skipped his seventh year, her sixth, to hunt for horcruxes. She was the quidditch captain this year, following in her boyfriend's footsteps, but the players weren't nearly as good as Charlie, the twins, or even Ron had been. Perhaps she was just biased. Either way, there was no way she was turning down some backyard flying.

"That won't work, Gin. Hermione won't play, so we'll be uneven." Ron responded, with a rueful grin as he one-arm hugged Hermione, holding his broom with the other hand.

"Why doesn't Hermione want to play?" Charlie asked, looking at her, genuinely curious.

"Hermione doesn't like to fly. Hermione doesn't like heights. Hermione doesn't like having 25 pound transfigured rocks hurled at her head, either." Hermione rolled her eyes and giggled at herself for referring to herself in the third person. "I'm really not interested, guys. I'm sorry." She grinned at Ginny, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I'll sit this one out," Charlie replied, sheepishly, "It's not fair to have uneven teams. You guys go on, have fun. I'll keep Hermione company. Maybe we could be referees and keep score? Keep everything fair?" He looked at her, something like childish hope glinting in his eyes behind his cheeky grin.

"You're more than welcome to join me, Charlie," Hermione replied quietly as she sat down on one of the benches scattered across the garden, "I like to watch the games, I just don't care for playing."

"That's alright, luv. Perhaps we'll get you on a broom one day, you just have to learn from someone you trust." He replied, sitting next to her on the bench, sinking it a few inches in the mud with their combined weight. Charlie was no small man.

"I'm not so sure about that, Charlie. It's flying and heights in general. I tried to ride Buckbeak with Harry once, and then that Opaleye last year..." she shuddered imperceptively.

"Both creatures with minds of their own, Hermione, and in the Opaleye's case, more determined to get away from it's prison than listen to commands. If I ever get my hands on that goblin..." His face flushed when he thought of the sick, blind dragon that was now at the Reserve.

"It's all right, Charlie, the dragon is safe now. If you want to teach me to fly some day...I'll...Maybe I'll let you. I trust you." She grinned bashfully as she took his hand and squeezed it gently. His heart skipped a beat when he realized she hadn't let it go. He hoped his palms weren't sweaty.

"All right," he replied gruffly, "We're supposed to be watching this..keeping score."

* * *

12. Glove

When the impromptu quidditch game came to an end, and the players decided to head to the kitchen for a chat over a cool drink, Charlie asked Hermione quietly if she would like to take a walk. She readily agreed, standing to remove her coat and gloves, which had become quite warm in the fall afternoon, before taking the hand he offered to her. They strolled past the copse of trees toward a small pond on the back side of the property, a comfortable silence between them. When they reached the edge of the water, Hermione conjured a blanket and they settled onto it. Charlie lay back, his arms behind his head, and watched the clouds roll by. Hermione sat next to him, silently reading a book she produced from her pocket and enlarged. They relaxed in silence for a while before Charlie was broken from his reverie by her giggle.

"What are you reading?" he couldn't help but ask. She looked up from her book and grinned, blushing a bit. He thought her blush was cute.

"Pride and Prejudice. It's my favorite story." She replied, closing the book around her finger, marking her place, and showing him the cover.

"Never heard of it. Not much of a reader, though..unless it's about dragons, of course." He grunted in reply, "So what's it about?"

"Would you like me to read it to you?" Hermione asked, shyly. She felt as if her face was on fire, she couldn't remember the last time she blushed so many times.

"If you'd like," Charlie replied, looking into her eyes. "I promise not to fall asleep." he grinned cheekily at her.

"You'd better not, prat!" she laughed in reply, swatting playfully at his arm while turning to face him and flipping back to the first page of her book. "Here goes. _It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man, in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife..._"

Hermione kept reading, but she had already lost Charlie's attention temporarily. He was still stuck on that first sentence...after all, he was a man in good fortune, dragon keeping being a dangerous job that only a select few actually attempted, hence the hefty paycheck. He also knew that someday, he wanted a home, wife and family. He found it disconcerting that within the first sentence, this muggle book that Hermione seemed to like so much hit so close to home for him. He tuned back in, to listen to the description of Elizabeth's parents' discussion, and couldn't help but see the similarities to his own family, except instead of a bunch of girls, they had a bunch of boys and one girl. The similarities were uncanny, and starting to unnerve him.

"_The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news."_ Hermione concluded, clearing her throat. Charlie grinned at her, uncanny similarities indeed. "That's the end of the first chapter. What do you think so far, Charlie?" Hermione asked, looking down at the book. He reached out and gently raised her chin until they were looking into each other's eyes. He cupped her cheek as he replied,

"It was interesting. I thought you were reading about mum for a minute there," he chuckled. "I'd like to do this again...perhaps you could read me the next chapter soon?" He asked softly, the traces of humor gone from his voice.

"You could read it yourself, I could lend you my copy, it's no prob..." Hermione started, before Charlie cut her off before placing a finger on her lips.

"I want _you_ to read it to me, Kitten." He replied, his voice dropping to a husky timbre.

"If you want...I mean...why?" Hermione fumbled over her words, her face getting redder by the minute. "What's so great about me?"

"Everything." he replied softly, before pressing his lips to hers. The sudden kiss startled her, it was soft and tentative, and so warm. She realized her inaction, and kissed him back just as tentatively. She gasped as she felt his tongue flick out to touch her bottom lip, and Charlie took the opportunity to caress her tongue gently with his. She moaned softly into his mouth before he gently pulled away from her, nibbling her bottom lip along the way, causing her stomach to flip. She opened her eyes to meet his concerned blue-green gaze.

"I...wow...um...yea." _That was eloquent_ she chided herself as she looked down at her book again. Charlie reached out and hooked a finger under her chin and raising her head again,

"Don't ever be ashamed, Hermione," he said, gently, his voice still a bit gruff. "Don't ever be afraid to look me in the eye. I take it you didn't mind that?"

"Oh, Charlie," Hermione replied softly, "of course I didn't." She stood abruptly, brushing the nonexistent grass from her jeans and changing the subject, "We should head back, before they send a search party out."

"You're right, as usual," Charlie replied amiably, also standing and banishing the blanket while Hermione shrunk her book and stuck it back into her jeans pocket. They headed back toward the Burrow, hand in hand. When they got closer to the house, Charlie raised her hand to his lips and brushed them over her knuckles,

"You go ahead, Kitten. I'm going to stay out here a while, it get's kind of crowded in there." Hermione only grinned at him before she headed for the kitchen door. She knew he was an outdoorsy sort and didn't care for being cooped up in the house. About an hour later, she found him in the garden, and let him know that dinner would be ready within the next quarter hour. She noticed that she had left her coat and gloves draped across the back of the bench and picked them up, noticing that one of the gloves was missing. She shrugged it off, she would get another pair the next time she went to town. Little did she know the errant glove was in Charlie's front trouser pocket, his hand gripping it steadily.

* * *

13. Lace

The last day of Charlie's vacation had finally reached the Burrow, and the tense feelings between him and Hermione were so thick they couldn't be cut with a meat cleaver. He wanted to get to know her better, but he wasn't quite sure how to go about it. He wasn't willing to give up his job at the Reserve, ever, and he knew she felt the same way about her job in the M.C.D. at the ministry, where she thought she could affect the most change. He pondered whether or not he was ready to try his hand at a long distance...whatever they had...while he stared down at the glove he had quietly lifted from the top of her coat a few days before. It was definitely a woman's glove: petite and dainty with just a small ruffle of lace around the cuff. Not a token you would expect a brawny dragon wrangler to tote around in his pocket. The glove was more than that, though. It was a sign of his feelings for her. Charlie was no fool, nor was he naive. He knew he had serious feelings for Hermione, and certainly wanted to act on those feelings, but he was afraid of her reaction if he spilled his guts. As if she could hear his thoughts, Hermione chose that moment to come out of the back door of the Burrow, dressed in a light jumper and form-fitting jeans, giving Charlie an image of her to take back to Romania with him. For the next several months, every time he closed his eyes, he would see her standing there in his family's back porch, the slight breeze blowing her curls back out of her face, a small smile playing on her lips as she watched him. He was still lost in thought when he felt the bench shift and sink a bit into the mud.

"If we're not careful, we'll bury this bench one day..." Hermione laughed, laying her head on his shoulder. "Knut for your thoughts?"

"Are you calling me fat?" Charlie chuckled in response at the inside joke. The bench they sat on, that he had labeled "theirs", had probably sunk at least six inches in the week since he had arrived, as they had spent almost every afternoon sitting and chatting, sometimes snogging, and getting to know each other. He realized he hadn't answered her question and turned more toward her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"I was thinking about how much I'm going to miss this place when I go back to Romania tomorrow."

"I know it sounds silly, but do you really have to go?" Hermione asked quietly, lifting her amber eyes to meet his twinkling green gaze.

"Yes, I do, Kitten, as much as I would like to stay here with you, I do still have a job to do. Are you sure you don't want to go with me? The reserve would hire you in no time, with your experience in both potions and magical creatures, and your NEWT scores." Charlie reached up and tucked an errant curl behind her ear, causing her to shiver a bit at the intimate gesture.

"I'm sure they would, Charlie, but I would be leaving behind my friends and family...our family," she corrected absentmindedly, "I need some time to think about it. I'd love to be able to drop everything and run off to Romania with you, luv, but it's just not in my nature," she grinned at him as she cupped his cheek with her free hand, rubbing a bit at the stubble she found on his jaw before leaning up to place a chaste kiss on his lips, causing his heart to flutter just a bit. "Besides," she continued, "Aren't we a witch and wizard? If I get too lonely I can portkey or floo to you, or vise versa, although it'd probably be easier for me to leave than you. How's that sound?"

"I guess I'll have to take it," he replied, pulling her onto his lap, facing him, and felt the bench sink a few more inches into the mud with the added weight, "I'll miss you, Kitten." He whispered huskily, pushing her hair back to expose the shell of her ear before kissing it gently, then taking the lobe into his mouth and suckling gently, causing her to whimper. He let out a deep chuckle, and she felt the sound reverberate through the hand that was placed on his chest. She lay her head down on his shoulder, basking in his presence while she still had him available. They sat in companiable silence until the sun fell below the tree line, and the breeze started to have a nip in it. He felt her shiver against him before he hugged her and said, "We should probably go in. You've no coat and I still have to pack a few things. Care to help me?" He guided her off of his lap and she held her arm out and helped him up off the bench. They looked at the cockeyed bench together and both let out a laugh.

"I guess we did sink it quite a bit," Hermione giggled, grabbing his hand and intertwining her fingers with his. He looked down at their joined hands, then into her eyes and smiled softly at her as she continued, "And yes, I'd like to help you pack, if you want me too." She knew perfectly well that he could wave his wand and have his trunk packed in a matter of minutes, but she wasn't about to give up any of her precious time with him, and as she followed him towards his bedroom, she thought she felt her heart break a bit with the thought that he would be gone in the morning.

As they headed toward the house, neither noticed the face watching them kindly from the kitchen window. Molly turned towards her husband, who was eating a late supper at the large dining table and smiled. She was glad that her last single child had found someone to love, but she knew that they had a long road ahead of them, until they could be together permanently, and she decided that no matter what their decision, she would support them and be there when they needed her to be.

* * *

14. Letters

The weeks seemed to drag by for Hermione, the only bright spot being Friday afternoons when she got a lengthy letter from Charlie, detailing everything he had done in the past seven days. He wrote about his daily activities, what new dragons had been born, if any had been sick or had died, he updated her on the condition of "her" opaleye, as he referred to the dragon her, Harry and Ron had freed from Gringott's the summer between their sixth and what should have been their seventh year, and had told her in the first letter that naming it had become her responsibility, and she was still deliberating on a good, proper name for the iridescent dragon, and she finally settled on Pearl. Before Hermione knew it, Christmas was around the corner and she got her usual letter from Charlie, and started jumping up and down excitedly as she read it to herself. She finally calmed down enough to read the letter out loud to Molly and Arthur (skipping the parts that made her blush), and let them know that Charlie had managed to wrangle two weeks off for Christmas and was planning on coming home for half the holiday, but wouldn't say what his plans for New Year's week were. Hermione had her suspicions, but kept them to herself. Molly hugged her neck, both of them bleary-eyed from the tears, as they missed Charlie the most of the various family members.

The Saturday before Christmas, Hermione waited anxiously on the sofa in the living room of the Burrow for Charlie to come through the floo. He had told her he would be there in the early afternoon, but he wasn't sure of a specific time. Hermione had taken up her post with her copy of _Pride and Prejudice_, which had become worn with many readings, at eleven that morning. It was almost two when Hermione finally dozed off, her book falling to the floor with a soft "thunk." Fifteen minutes later, the floo roared to life, and a sooty Charlie stepped out of the grate, grinning at his Kitten, curled up on the couch waiting for him to come pet her. He smiled softly at her as he leaned down and picked her up, bridal style, with no effort, she was so light. Her eyes fluttered open at the movement and she looked into his eyes and smiled sleepily before asking,

"How long have you been here, Charlie?"

"Just a few minutes, Sweet. You were asleep on the couch, and I thought you might be more comfortable in the bed." He replied, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead as he headed up the stairs towards her bedroom. He kicked the door shut, muttering locking and silencing charms, having long since mastered wandless magic, even though his wand was in his back pocket. He didn't want to let go of his Kitten at all if he didn't have to. He gently lay her on the bed and set about removing her shoes and socks.

"As much as I appreciate the attention, Luv, I can undress myself," Hermione giggled as Charlie moved up to her skirt, pulling it down over her knicker-clad bum and tossing it in the genereal direction of the laundry hamper.

"Don't care." he grunted at her before picking up her right foot and kissing each toe individually before moving up, placing small kisses along her calves, knees, and thighs before pulling her into a sitting position and starting to unbutton her jumper, "Gods, I've missed you, Kitten." he growled into the crook of her neck as he pushed her jumper off her shoulders and hugged her to him. She snaked her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the short hairs at the back of his neck, enjoying the feel of him next to her. The need to feel his skin against hers was burning her as she reached down and pulled his polo over his head, tossing it in the general direction of her abandoned clothes. She kissed every part of his firm chest and shoulders she could reach before reaching up to place a warm kiss on his lips. He ran his tongue across the seam of her lips, asking for entry, which she freely gave. She gasped when she felt something cold and metal brush against her tongue. She pulled back a bit in suprise, a questioning look in her eyes. He gave her a small grin before he stuck his tongue out at her, showing her the small barbell that went through it, a ball on either end.

"But, why, Charlie?" she couldn't help but ask. She had seen piercings before, but she always associated them with people that were extroverted and liked to attract attention to themselves, not someone like Charlie, who kept to himself for the most part, with a few good friends, and tried not to stand out too much. He smiled at her before laying her back down and explaining,

"I did it for you, sweet. Y'see, this is a special piercing. Would you like to find out what's so special about it?"

"I suppose so, since you want to show me," she giggled back at him as he sat up on the bed and removed his boots and socks before laying down next to her on the bed and kissing her with all the passion he had saved up through the past couple months. Hermione thought her body had been lit on fire from the inside from that one kiss, moaning gently into his mouth as she occasionally brushed the cool metal balls in his tongue with hers. He reached behind her as their tongues battled for dominance and effortlessly unhooked her brassiere, removing it and tossing it across the room. He slowly kissed down her neck, leaving a scorching trail as he went further south. He gently massaged her left breast with his hand while he suckled her left nipple, causing her to whimper slightly and arch her back, silently asking for more of what he had to offer. He chuckled huskily against her and muttered "Patience, Kitten" before moving to offer the same attention to the other breast. When she involuntarily bucked her hips against his leg he thought it time to move on. He placed small chaste kisses down her tummy until he reached her navel, topping to swirl his tongue in the small hole, causing her to giggle and push his shoulders, trying to get him away from the sensitive spot. He looked up and his eyes met hers, glazed with a wanton lust he had never seen in them before. That one glance made his hard-on throb, but this afternoon was to be about her, not him. He wrapped his fingers around the waistband of her knickers, eyes never leaving hers, asking her silently if she wanted him to continue. She seemed to read his mind as she nodded slightly. She expected him to pull her knickers off then move back up to enter her, but she gasped when she felt his warm mouth on the top of her mons. He kneeled at the foot of her bed, and pulled her by her hips until her most private areas were displayed to him like a buffet. He draped a knee over each shoulder and used his thumbs to spread her petals, her nub glistening in front of him. He touched her clit slightly with his tongue and flicked it, causing her to scream quietly and buck up, his hands on her abdomen the only thing holding her in place.

"Sensitive, aren't we, Kitten?" Charlie asked, taking a long swipe of her snatch with his tongue, reveling in her scent and taste, her juices getting caught in his goatee. He didn't care, that just meant he would smell her for hours.

"Charlie...please..." She whimpered, not knowing what she wanted, just that she wanted him to do _something_.

"Please what, Hermione? What do you want me to do? Do you want me to eat this beautiful pussy? Do you want me to lick your clit until you're screaming my name. Do you want me to make you come? Help me out, Kitten." He enjoyed teasing her with his naughty words. If his suspicions were correct, his baby brother had never made it this far with the little witch, and as far he was concerned, never would.

"Show me what's special about your piercing, Charlie." She panted, still curious what the big deal about the tongue ring was supposed to be. He grinned mischeviously before reaching behind him and grabbing his wand out of his back pocket.

"Sure thing, Kitten. I think you'll like this." He waved his wand at his mouth and said the silent incantation, and felt a small hum against the back of his teeth. The wizard that had put in the barbell had promised him that no witch could withstand the vibration for very long, and that he had gotten the idea from some of the toys that his muggle wife owned. Charlie figured at the time it was worth a shot, now was the time to find out if it worked. He plunged his tongue into his Kitten's tight opening, the balls of the piercing resting against her nub and he made love to her with his tongue at a steady pace. Only a few minutes later, Hermione was moaning quietly, her moans steadily becoming louder and she began bucking against his face, looking for realease. He mercilessly rammed her with his tongue, the vibration of his piercing steadily hitting her clit. He never dreamed his quiet little witch could be so loud or vulgar:

"...Oh, Gods, Charlie, YESSSS! Just like that...fuck yes, oh Merlin, right there..."

Charlie was thankful he had the forethought of the silencing charm on the door when Hermione screamed her release and came in his mouth. He licked up as much of her sweet nectar as he could before he gently pulled her legs off of his shoulders and stood up, helping her scoot up on the bed, knowing there was no way she would be able to stand at the moment. He surreptitiously wiped his mouth on the bottom corner of her sheet before removing his trousers and laying down next to her.

"Stripes this time, eh?" she grinned stupidly at him before closing her eyes and laying her head on his shoulder. "Why did you do that?" He put his hand up to his mouth and silently stopped the humming of his piercing before answering her. He kissed her again, sharing the taste with her, wondering briefly if that would gross her out. She didn't mind, like she thought she would, he had a musky scent and taste added to his normal taste of cinnamon and chocolate candies, which she knew he had a weakness for. He lay his head down on the pillow and smiled softly before replying,

"Because I wanted to."

"Oh." was her only reply before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, suprised that one orgasm could take so much out of her. He watched her as her breathing evened out and when he was sure she was asleep he brushed some tendrils of hair from her face and kissed her gently on the forehead and whispered softly, "And because I love you, Kitten."

* * *

15. Make a Wish

A few days before Christmas, Hermione sat on "their" bench, lost in thought. Charlie had gone with his Mother to Diagon Alley to do some shopping and visit with George, Angie, and new baby Fred, and she had declined to accompany them, saying she needed some "thinking" time. Charlie seemed to understand, and had hugged her tightly to him and made her promise she wouldn't think too hard before they apparated away. Charlie didn't mind her not coming, it would be the perfect opportunity to buy Hermione's Christmas gift,and he would have his Mum with him to help him pick it out. When he pointed at what he planned on getting her, Molly burst into tears and threw her arms around her sons neck, squeezing all the air out of him. His blush rivaled the color of his hair as he claimed he couldn't breathe and his mum backed off, sniffling and wiping at her eyes, her smile seeming to glow from her soul. They picked out Hermione's gift and moved onto the next shop, then finally ended taking tea with George and his family at WWW before shrinking their bags and apparating home. Charlie saw his Kitten sitting on "their" bench, her cheek resting in her hand, staring off into space. He watched her for a few minutes before taking off upstairs towards his room to enlarge and magically wrap his gifts, except for Hermione's, which he planned on giving to her personally on Christmas morning.

When he came back down the stairs, Hermione was sitting at the table, chatting away over a cup of tea with his sister, who had just arrived home for the holiday from her internship at St. Mungo's. He took in his sister in her lime green healer's robes and suddenly felt old. His baby sister was all grown up..that wasn't supposed to happen. As he observed her, he also noticed something glinting on her left hand. He picked her hand up and looked at the engagement ring, then back at her, one eyebrow lifted in question. Ginny chuckled before replying,

"After your last visit, Harry figured he'd better go ahead and ask before another one of my brothers catches us snogging and decides to knock his teeth out."

"Wise of him," Charlie replied, grinning, "I like him. But if he does anything to hurt you, I'll kill him."

"He knows, Charlie, as he's already been told the same thing by Bill, George and Ron. Percy just looked at him funny, but that's as good as it gets with Percy, I suppose." Ginny giggled. "I'd better get going, Harry is probably pacing the front hall waiting for me as we speak."

"Where are you going?" Charlie asked curiously.

"To Grimmauld Place. Harry and I are going out to dinner with Ron and Luna. Say, do you two want to come with us? I'm sure we can add two more chairs to the table."

Charlie shrugged, passing the decision off the Hermione. He noticed she had been quieter than usual, and she looked tired. He wanted to have a heart to heart with her, but if she wanted to go out, it could wait. Hermione shook her head slightly before answering, "No, I don't think so, Gin. Thank you for the invitation, but I don't feel up to it. Go, have fun, tell Harry and Ron I said hi, and I'm looking forward to seeing them on Saturday."

"Will do!" Ginny shouted as she headed toward the back door, shouting over her shoulder. She apparated away with a small pop. Hermione sat across from Charlie, staring at the table, stirring her tea slowly, but not drinking any of it. Her shoulders were slumped and her lower lip stuck out a bit in what Charlie considered an adorable pout. Charlie reached across the table and hooked his finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to meet his and asked,

"What's the matter, Kitten?" Hermione sighed and placed her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands and watched him intently for a few minutes before answering, her amber eyes never leaving his.

"I heard you Charlie."

"You heard me what?" Charlie was confused, he racked his brain trying to remember if he had said anything to offend or upset her. He had asked if she wanted to go shopping and she declined, so he knew that wasn't it, his Kitten was certainly not that shallow.

"Last Sunday, when you got here...and we...you...well, you know..." she stammered, blushing.

"When I made love to you?" He interjected, grinning a bit at her innocence at the proper way to refer to him eating her out.

"Um...yea, then. When I fell asleep, I heard what you said. I'm a really light sleeper, Charlie."

It hit Charlie then what the problem was. He was in love with her, and she wasn't sure she felt the same way. He had hoped she hadn't heard him, he wanted to declare his feelings when he gave her his Christmas present, but this wasn't a bad thing, they were going to have to have this talk eventually.

"Oh, Kitten, come here." He replied softly, standing up and walking around the table to pull her into his arms for a hug. He lay her head on his shoulder and swayed a bit around the kitchen with her, when he realized the front of the old quidditch jersey he was wearing was wet. He looked down to see her crying quietly in his arms, large crocodile tears streaming down her cheeks. He raised her face to look at up at him and used his thumbs to wipe her tears away before saying in a soft voice,

"I meant what I said, Hermione. I do love you, more than you can possibly know."

"I believe you, Charlie. I...I love you too." Charlie felt his heart leap into his throat with her admission, and his stomach did a few flips. He attempted to swallow the frog in his throat before croaking out,

"You...Y'do?" She looked up at him and smiled softly at him before placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Yes, Charlie, I love you. More than you can possibly know," she repeated his declaration, "but I'm confused. Where do we go from here? My life is here, and yours is in Romania. Letters can only give me so much comfort, and I was getting bummed out at the thought that in a week in a half you'll be halfway around the world again."

He secretly smiled to himself before leaning down and kissing her passionately, nibbling a bit at her bottom lip before pulling away and replying, "Don't worry about it, Kitten, these things have a way of working themselves out. Didn't you say that you trusted me?"

"I trust you, Charlie. Let's go for a walk, it's really warm in here." Hermione removed herself from his arms to grab their cloaks and set about putting hers on. "I never did find my other glove, you know..." she grinned at him, knowing perfectly well he still toted the single glove around with him. She thought it sweet, so she hadn't asked for it back.

Charlie clasped his own cloak and took her hand, twining their fingers together and she smiled at the gesture. They took off across the back yard, coming to a stop at the same little pond where she had read to him. It was too dark to read this time, but she conjured a blanket and they lay down on it to watch the stars. All of a sudden, a comet soared across the sky. Charlie grinned and turned toward his little Kitten and whispered, "Make a wish."

Hermione looked as if she was thinking hard for a minute, then smiled broadly at him before replying, "Alright, I made my wish."

Charlie cupped her face in his large calloused hand and whispered huskily, "And what did you wish for?"

Hermione grinned at him and giggled a bit before replying, "If I tell you it won't come true."

"How do you know that it will come true if you don't tell me?" Charlie retorted, kissing the corner of her mouth.

"I concede the argument," she replied, leaning up and whispering something in his ear. His eyes grew wide for a minute before he pulled back and smiled softly at her before asking "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I'm sure, Charlie." she replied softly, kissing the hollow of his throat, making him growl in response. He rolled her onto her back and replied in a husky whisper,

"I think I can grant that wish, my little Kitten."

"Grant away, Tiger."


	4. Part 4

**Disclaimer: **I am not J.K. Rowling. I can't even fake a British accent. And I'm certainly not making any money off these characters, or I wouldn't have so many bills.

**A/N**: sorry it took me so long to get this up, I gave up coca-cola, so my muse isn't very happy with me at the moment. Hope you enjoy reading, and leave me review, good bad or otherwise!

**A/N 2:** Someone reminded me in a review that I killed off Hermione's parents earlier slaps forehead, so I adjusted the story where Hermione has a rich aunt and uncle. I know it's totally cliche', but it's either that or delete the entire thing and rewrite it and well..I'm just not that ambitous!

* * *

16. One

Charlie stood up and pulled Hermione with him, holding her close to him as he banished the blanket. He looked down in to her questioning eyes and replied, "Not here, Kitten. Hold on to me, tightly." She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life as he apparated them to his bedroom, bypassing any of the questions his parents or siblings might have. She looked around and she realized that she was in the room that Charlie or Bill used whenever they came home for a visit. She saw that instead of twin beds, there was one queen sized bed in the middle. Thinking about it, she realized that when Bill and Fleur were at the Burrow, they slept here and Charlie slept in Fred and George's old room, next to her room. Charlie kissed her hard, interrupting her train of thought and setting her insides aflame again. She felt as if she could live off of his kisses. She kissed back with vigor, knowing that his lips were meant especially for her, that she didn't have to share them with anyone. He slowly walked her to the bed, pulling her jumper off in the process and deftly unhooking her bra, pulling away from her lips just long enough to remove it before kissing her again. When the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed, he stopped long enough for her to pull his shirt over his head and toss it aside. He looked into her eyes and asked again, to be sure,

"Are you sure you want this, Kitten? We can wait, I don't mind."

"I want you, Charlie. All of you." she whispered huskily as she started trying to undo his belt buckle, her inexperienced fingers fumbling with the clasp. He chuckled heartily at her and removed her hands, setting her on the edge of the bed.

"Patience, sweet, it's not going to go anywhere, trust me." He leaned over and kissed her collarbone, making her whimper, and helped her lie down, then stood up to remove his boots, socks and belt. Charlie lay down next to her in the bed in his trousers and kissed her again, massaging her breast, feeling her nipple harden under his palm. He pinched it gently, rolling it betwen his fingers before lowering his head to nibble at the rose colored pebble, his hand moving to the other breast. Charlie marvelled at how perfectly her breasts fit into his hand, and how receptive his little witch was to his attentions. With every nip or pull she whimpered and moaned, involuntarily bucking her hips against him, making his erection throb against the material of his boxers, begging to be let loose. He envisioned his parents fooling around and felt his erection fade a bit, allowing him to continue his ministrations in only mild discomfort.

Hermione ran her hands across his broad shoulders, feeling the taught muscles shifting under his skin as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him for another mind-numbing kiss. She noted absentmindedly that he had removed his tongue ring, but she didn't mind, althought it was a novelty she would keep in mind for later. He pulled back momentarily and looked in her eyes, uncertainty etched in his features, while he tried to figure out the best way to ask what was on his mind. He swallowed the lump in his throat before blurting out,

"Hermione, are you a virgin?" She blushed an adorable shade of pink and nodded in response, confirming his suspicions about her and his baby brother's short-lived "relationship." He now knew that he needed to take it slow, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt his Kitten. Charlie knew he was no small man, in any respect, so a little pain on her part was going to be inevitable, but he was determined to make this as enjoyable for her as possible and he wanted to make absolute sure she knew what she was getting into. Charlie lay down next to her on the large bed, lifting her up a bit to rest one hand behind her shoulders and placed his other hand on her stomach, where he absentmindedly traced small shapes with his index finger. Hermione lay her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating, relishing his closeness. She wasn't in any particular rush, she knew that Charlie was the infinitely more experienced between them and was more than willing to let him set the pace. She would do anything he asked, and answer any questions he had honestly. A few comfortable minutes passed before Charlie leaned into her and started nibbling on her ear, kissing the sensitive area of skin behind it, causing her to whimper. The hand that had been on her stomach he slowly inched down her body until his hand rested on her groin. He rested his hand on her jeans, on top of her mons as he took one of her perked nipples into his mouth, nibbling then soothing the area by laving it with his tongue, causing her to moan quietly and arch into his hand. She looked him in the eye and moaned,

"Charliieee?"

"What is it, Kitten?" he whispered huskily into her ear, hugging her to him with the arm that was wrapped around her shoulders.

"Can I touch you?" She asked, suprising herself with the sultry tone of her voice. Charlie chuckled deeply in response as he helped her sit up, then stood up next to the bed and quickly shed his pants, standing in front of her clothed only in his boxers. She couldn't help but wonder what interesting pattern they would have on them this time, and she giggled helplessly when she saw little golden snitches flying all around his groin. Magic boxers, who knew?

"What's so funny?" He asked, smiling, as he pulled her up to stand in front of him, pulling her body flush with his. She blushed at the sudden contact and laughed nervously as she replied,

"Oh nothing, just enjoying your skivvies. I'd never thought that men's underwear came in so many...styles."

"Ah..I see." he whispered into her ear before kissing the shell and nibbling a bit on the lobe, before moving his head down to place a soft kiss on her shoulder squeezing her gently in a makeshift hug before continuing in a low tone that she could feel rumbling through his chest "perhaps you would like to see what all these shorts, which are so amusing to you, are covering up?"

"That would be lovely," Hermione replied, grinning a bit as she watched him pull his boxers down, his cock springing free from the waistband, proudly at attention. When she saw how big he was, her throat went a bit dry. She looked up at his grinning face, her light brown eyes large and limpid. She knew it was a silly question, but she had to ask,

"Will it fit?"

Charlie didn't reply in words. He answered by pulling her off the bed, where she had sat while he stripped and into his arms. Hermione responded in kind by wrapping her arms around his neck, and shivered a bit when she felt his hands run down her sides, resting on the waistband of her jeans. He pulled away from her neck, where he had been sucking and nibbling at her pale flesh, before muttering in a deep, hoarse voice.

"It'll fit, Kitten. It'll hurt, too. I'm warning you now, if you don't want to do this you can back out now, but this is your last chance. I'm not a gentle person by nature but I'll try my damndest not to hurt you more than necessary. Now's your last chance to change your mind." Hermione blushed at his brutal honesty, although she knew she could argue the point of his gentleness, but now was not the time for it. She didn't respond, but rather took his large hands in her petite ones and placed them on the fly of her denims before whispering,

"I'm ready for you, Charlie, and only you. Make me one with you."

* * *

17. Rings 

The next morning dawned bright, clear and cold. Hermione woke to a sunbeam streaming in the window and hitting her face. She wrinkled her nose before flipping over...wait, that wasn't right. The window in her bedroom faced the west, and the rising sun shouldn't have any effect. Her room stayed dark till almost noon, which is what she liked about it. She opened her eyes slowly, trying to ascertain where in the Burrow she had fallen asleep. As she finished turning over, she got a face full of silky light red hair, and the previous evenings activities came back to her in a rush.

Charlie had been wonderful, taking his time with her. He had stripped her of her denims and her knickers before laying her back on the bed then laying down next to her, his head propped up on one elbow while he traced small shapes on her tummy with his other hand, and just talked. They caught up on everything they had missed, she told him all about her job, mostly fussing about the seemingly endless amount of paperwork that seemed to lead nowhere, and he told her more about the dragon reserve, and the people that worked there. She was suprised and how much staff there was living there. She had envisioned a tent community with a bunch of burly men, when in fact the reserve was more along the lines of a modern zoo, housing all sorts of exotic creatures, not just dragons, and extracted a promise from her to come visit in the near future.

As soon as they seemed comfortable just holding each other, he had moved his hand from her tummy down to her core, and ran a finger from the cleft of her arse up to the top of her mons, stopping to massage her clitoris a bit, just enough to make her whimper and arch into him. He pulled her lips to his in a searing kiss as he rubbed her nub with the rough pad of his thumb, until she couldn't hold it in anymore and started moaning into his mouth, becoming more and more shrill as he pressed on, and finally seeing black spots in front of her eyes. When she thought that she had been turned to pudding and couldn't move anywhere, couldn't speak, couldn't think, he raised himself over her, propping his large frame up on his elbows while cupping her face in his large hands. He removed one hand to position himself at her entrance, slowly working his way in, making her hiss. He wasn't lying. It hurt. It hurt like hell. But, she wanted this. She wanted to give herself to this man, and she wanted to be his. He stopped when he felt her thin barrier, and leaned down to place another searing kiss on her lips before whispering huskily into her ear,

"I love you Hermione. I'm sorry. Bite me if you have to." She nodded slightly as she went to kiss his shoulder, at the same time he pulled out an inch or so and thrust in sharply, tearing the thin flesh of her hymen, causing her to cry out and bite his shoulder instead. He stilled inside of her, giving her time to adjust to the intrusion, and she pulled away from his shoulder and lay back on the pillow, salty tears running backwards into her hair. He hugged her to him and ran his hand over her hair, cooing nonsense words into her ear in an attempt to comfort.

"Shh..it's ok, kitten...over now. Won't hurt no more." With that, he began to move inside her, and at first she had to bite her lip to deal with the sharp pains that went flying through her. She was going to feel this in the morning. He came shortly after that, with a grunt, and rolled off of her. He looked at her apologetically before pulling her to him and whispering in her ear, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I promise it will be better next time." A few long minutes later, and she felt his breathing even out and his grip on her went slack as he gave in to sleep. She followed shortly after.

Hermione was roused from her reverie by the pressure on her bladder. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood to go the loo, and grimaced at the soreness in her bum and her legs. She knew that she would feel it in the morning, but Morgana's tits! She hadn't been this sore since the year her and the boys had spent running around the Forest of Dean searching for Horcruxes. She slowly walked around the bedroom, picking up random articles of clothing, trying to work out the soreness, and searching for her knickers and shirt. She couldn't very well go to the look down the hall in the nude, no telling who was in the house. She picked up Charlie's trousers to lay across the desk chair so he could find them easily when he awoke, and she noticed one side felt heavier than the other. Her natural curiousness winning over her conscience, she dug in his pocket to find out what the extra weight was. She felt a small box and pulled it out, more curious by the minute, and was surprised to see a gift box from the jeweler's in Diagon Alley. She flipped it open to find a beautiful engagement ring, platinum with diamonds and rubies all along the band..the perfect ring for a Gryffindor. She gasped when the thought hit her that Charlie probably intended it for her. She felt her eyes well with tears and she quietly stuck it back in his pocket and folded his pants and lay them carefully on the chair before pulling on her knickers and jumper and leaving the bedroom, her need to use the loo bordering on unbearable.

Charlie had woken when he felt the bed shift and almost groaned at the sunlight. He had hoped for a lie-in, snuggling up to his Kitten, but apparently it was not to be. He watched from the bed as she walked around the room slowly, picking up random articles of clothing and either balling them up under her arm or folding them neatly and placing them on the chair. He bit his lip as she picked up his slacks, and almost groaned as she dug in the pocket, finding his gift for her. He almost chuckled when she gasped and stuck the ring back in his pocket. He had sat up and was going to clear his throat and hold his arms out for a hug when she rushed out of the room.

* * *

18. Paris 

Charlie didn't know what to think. He sat in bed and waited a quarter hour for Hermione to return to his room, a smile on her face, but she never came back. He didn't hurt her _that _much, did he? He hoped not, but there was only one way to find out. Charlie was never one for wallowing in his own thoughts, he was a man of action. He shook the sleep out of his head as he ran a comb through his hair and pulled on a black muscle shirt and a clean pair of black denims, taking time to remove the ring box from his slacks and sticking it in his pocket. He'd be buggered if he lost something so precious. Since Hermione already knew, he could go ahead and give it to her today, if she was willing to accept it. A niggling doubt crawled into his brain. What if that's why she didn't come back? What if she doesn't want to get married? She likes her job..what if she doesn't want to give it up? What if she wants me to give up the dragons? Could I do it? Charlie shuddered at the thought. Taking care of magical animals had been part of his life for so many years, he couldn't imagine doing anything else, or wanting to. He threw a button-down on over his shirt as he headed for the kitchen. An argument with his Mum over magical tattoos was not something he needed right now. He needed to find his Kitten.

When he reached the kitchen, no one was around except Molly, who was in the kitchen humming a Celestina Warbeck song to herself as she waved her wand at a sink full of dishes and supervised them cleaning themselves.

"Mum, have you seen Hermione?"

"Oh, yes, dear. She said she needed to go to her relatives' house today. Seemed in a bit of a rush, also. Is something wrong?"

"Not that I know of." Charlie lied, grinning at his mum before continuing, "Say, Mum, do you know where they live? I'd kind of like to meet them, anyway, and have a chat."

"Sure dear, I have their address written somewhere, I'll find it for you. I know it's in Wiltshire, but not the exact coordinates." Molly replied, knowing that Charlie was planning on apparating there, and unlike the post, for long distance apparition a person needed the longitude and latitude of their location, especially if it was their first time going there.

"Thanks, Mum. Oh, I also have to go to Paris today," he added with a grin and a wink, "I have some things to take care of. I'll be back by supper-time."

Molly just nodded and grinned back. Her son had errands, all right. She just hoped they would be happy...and give her grandbabies, of course.

* * *

19. Temptation 

Hermione apparated into her Aunt Helen and Uncle Richard's back yard, and smiled softly at the frozen over pool and rose bushes. After her parents were killed, they had taken her in, and tried their best to give her the love and support they thought she needed. In the spring Helen and Richard Granger's back yard would be a veritable bower, full of all sorts of intoxicating scents, in a vain attempt to cover the scent of chlorine from the perpetually clear water. It was a rough chemical, but necessary for keeping out bacteria, but Hermione and Helen both thought it smelled horrible, and had spent the entire first winter after the pool was installed planting the most aromatic plants they could find. Hermione's favorites were the pink sweetheart roses, though, because her uncle had bought the little bush and brought it to Kings Cross with him as a graduation present at the end of her 7th year, as a gift for getting O's on all of her N.E.W.T.'s. She tapped lightly at the back door before stepping into the large breakfast room, where her uncle was sipping a cup of coffee and reading a copy of the London Daily. Richard looked up from his paper at the sound of the door opening, expecting his wife, Helen or the housekeeper with the breakfast tray. His smile got wider when he saw his only daughter standing just inside the door, drinking the room in.

"Hermione! To what do we owe this visit, love? Shouldn't you be at work?" He asked jovially, leading her to a seat at the table and settling back into his seat as he pressed a button on the wall.

"Yes, Mr. Granger?" came a high feminine voice from the intercom.

"A drink for Hermione, please, Miss Pitts. Coffee and orange juice." He replied, holding the button down and glancing at Hermione, who nodded in reply.

After a small woman in a typical black maids outfit brought out her coffee, Hermione finally started the conversation.

"Aunt Helen at her tennis lesson?" Richard smiled indulgently in response.

"She is, in fact, so I'll assume you came all this way to visit with your old rich uncle, Poppet. What's going on?"

Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to hold it in much longer so she grinned and leaned over to peck her uncle on the cheek and grabbed his large, calloused hand in her small, soft one before replying.

"A man named Charlie is going to come here later, chasing after me, and he'll want to talk to you."

"Oh really? Does this Charlie have a last name?" He asked, intrigued.

"Weasley." She mumbled into her orange juice, the coffee having woken her up, and she was back to her playful nature. Richard and she had become close after she had buried her parents, and she was invited to stay with them at their Wiltshire home. Hermione would be disgusted at first to find out that not far down the lane was the walkway to Malfoy Manor. However, over time, the Grangers and the remaining Malfoys, Lucius and Draco, had become used to each other, bordering on tolerant, and Hermione and Draco had struck up the most unusual friendship, must to the chagrin of Ron and Harry.

"Weasley...where have I heard that...oh, that's your friend Ronald's last name, innit?" He asked, egging her on. He knew perfectly well what Ron's last name was, how many siblings he had, and that Hermione had been carrying a torch for his second oldest brother for quite a while.

"You know it is, Uncle Richard," Hermione smiled, "just as you know Charlie is Ron's brother. We've been writing back and forth for a while, and well, I think he's the one." Richard was surprised by her admission. Hermione was a self-proclaimed bachelorette and had always been, saying she didn't have time for a relationship. He was shocked that not only did she have a boyfriend, but had actually taken the time out of her busy schedule to write him on a regular basis.

"And can this Charlie Weasley afford my little princess?" Richard couldn't help but ask. He needed to know if the man had a job, at least.

"I'm sure he can," Hermione almost snorted. Charlie had finally admitted her to what his yearly salary was in one of his letters and her jaw had dropped when she saw the zeros. "He makes quite a bit. He's a dragon trainer, which is rare to find."

"Ah, so he's an adrenaline junkie. Perhaps we'll get him on the slopes next winter, eh?" Hermione nodded slightly in reply, not trusting herself to answer, having the mental image of Charlie on a pair of skis. She knew she'd better take her leave before their conversation got any more ridiculous. She stood to take her leave and her uncle escorted her to the door, pecking her on the cheek as they said their goodbyes. There was one more stop she had to make before heading back to the Burrow. As tempting as it was, she didn't want to run into Charlie while he was asking her uncle for her hand. Some things had to be kept proper, and this was one of them. She walked out to the pool and grinned at her reflection before apparating away.

* * *

20. Sin 

Hermione apparated into the recieving room of Malfoy Manor. While her family's house wasn't quite as ostentatious as the Malfoy's, Malfoy Manor was just as comfortable. It was only a few minutes after removing her cloak that a small house elf popped into the foyer and asked in a squeaky voice,

"Can Tippy take Missy Granger's cloak? Master Draco is on his way down. Tippy is to take you to the library." Hermione didn't reply as she followed the small greenish-grey creature. One of her largest successes had been convincing Lucius Malfoy to pay his house-elves, not an easy argument by any means, but the man had the galleons to spare. The house elves had always treated her with the utmost respect when she visited, happy that she had secured them wages, but also kept them serving the family they had served for generations. It had been easier than she expected, with a bit of help from her family. As a gesture of neighborly hospitality, they had invited Mr. Malfoy and his son to a dinner party one night, and the subject of indentured servants had come up. The epitome of genteelness, Lucious Malfoy had the grace to look abashed when Hermione mentioned that his servants were elves that didn't get paid, as their families had served the same family for generations. Helen Granger hadn't been able to hold in her shock and had likened his owning elves to the plantation owners of the early United States owning slaves, and expounded on the injustice of it all. Apparently, some part of her aunt's rant had hit home, because the following Monday a payment schedule for the Malfoy elves was on her desk to add into the office budget. She still had a stupid grin on her face when Draco Malfoy came through her office floo asking for a truce. Still giddy over her victory, she agreed and they shook hands, then he took her out to lunch, everyone in the office staring at the strange couple. She wasn't back in her office five minutes after lunch before Ron and Harry both barrelled in in their Auror uniforms, demanding to know what she was doing with the "ferret." She slammed her door shut and silenced the room before tearing them both up one side and down the other, telling them in no uncertain terms that she could be friends and go to lunch with whoever she bloody well pleased. The two abashed men looked a lot smaller coming out of her office than they did going in, and a smirking Hermione set about the rest of her paperwork.

Now she found herself in the library of Malfoy Manor, waiting patiently for Draco, while running her fingers over the tomes, wondering if she would ever have a library this nice. She wasn't sure how much Charlie read on a regular basis, but she was pretty sure it wasn't much. Ah well, she thought to herself, I can always read to him. She was startled out of her reverie by a hand resting gently on her shoulder.

"Admiring our collection, Granger?"

"Of course, Malfoy. It's a sin for you to own all these books, considering you can't read." She grinned and turned around, pulling him to her in a hug. He stiffened at first, unused to such blatant affection, before tentatively hugging her back, patting her back gently before taking a step back. He smirked as he drawled in reply,

"You know that's not true. I was right behind you in N.E.W.T.'s scores. I could work anywhere I want, I just choose not to."

"Of course not, why should you make an honest living when you can squander your father's money?" She asked, cheekily. Draco snorted elegantly in reply. He might have been the only person she knew that could make a snort sound elegant.

"We both know you're not here to discuss my monetary status, as yours is almost equivalent, o daughter of dentists." He asked as he sat down on a chaise and patted the seat next to him. She sat next to him and let him drape an arm around him.

"Just because my aunt and uncle are a Lord and Lady doesn't mean my parents weren't actually dentists, and I didn't feel compelled to share that info, not that it would have done any good. I came to tell you I'm leaving."

"Be still my heart, she actually admitting to lying! What do you mean, leaving?" He asked, turning more towards her, one sharp blond eyebrow arched in question.

"I didn't lie, I omitted. There's a difference. And I believe I'll be moving to Romania soon, to the Longhorn Reserve. I've been accepted as a manager there, I put in my application when the position came open a few months ago, and with my experience and test scores, I was apparently a shoe-in. I just have yet to tell him..." she mumbled, more to himself than to her friend. Draco had been listening avidly, however, and didn't miss the last bit.

"Him? And just who is this 'him', hmmm?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her and she pushed his shoulder, rolling her eyes and clicking her teeth at his antics.

"'Him' is Charlie. Charlie Weasley. We've been writing each other since the fall, when he came home on vacation. I..um...I found a ring in his pocket this morning. An engagment ring." Hermione looked down at her hands as she continued to tell Draco her feelings about Charlie. She had never dreamed he would be so easy to talk to, but he provided a listening ear, and rarely judged her choices or thoughts. He was, however, always honest with her, and she with him. She was the first person he had come out to, and she had encouraged him to tell his father, and the confrontation wasn't the dramatic scene that Draco expected. Lucius was disappointed that his chances of having a grandchild anytime soon were slim to none, but he had learned through the course of the war and the following years that he needed to hang onto everything important to him, especially his son.

When she finished her tale, Draco whistled lowly and shook his head, then smiled at her before pulling her into a sideways hug.

"I'm so happy for you, Hermione. I know you'll be happy together, I can tell you love him, and I'm sure he feels the same for you. Besides, I remember him from the Tri-Wizard tournament. He was a handsome bloke! Just promise me you won't forget your old friends?" He asked with what he tried to pass as an adorable pout and puppy dog eyes. The effect was a bit ludicrous on his aristocratic features, however, and Hermione burst into laughter at his hang-dog expression. She threw her arms around his neck and replied,

"Of course I won't, silly. I've got to get back to the Burrow or Molly will worry over me. Do you want to come over for dinner? I'm sure there will be plenty and it would definitely be better than eating in this stuffy old house with the elves for company."

Draco wrinkled his nose at the invitation and shook his head disbelievingly. Just because she had given him a second chance didn't mean everyone else was willing to. He kissed the back of her hand when they reached the apparition room and replied with a haughty smirk,

"No, thank you. I don't think the Weasley's would take kindly to me supping with them, to be honest. If I get lonely, I'll go visit your uncle." She shrugged her shoulders slightly before hugging him again and apparating away, back to the Burrow.

* * *

**Please leave a review! Reviews are like a drug to fanfic authors, we pheen for them after a while!**


	5. Part 5

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Disclaimer:

I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters, that right falls to the inimitable J.K. Rowling. Although, if she wanted to give me a Weasley, I wouldn't argue. I'm obviously not making any money, or the bill collectors would stop calling me.

**A/N:** I'm just on a roll tonight. sorry it took so long to get up here, and this chapter is all full of fluffy bunnnies. there's also lots of gimme's for people that write ships like Ron/Luna or Harry/Ginny, cause I don't. I just looked at the word count and went "Holy Crap!", lol. Anyhoo, enjoy it, there's only one chapter left after this one, and I'll try to get it up ASAP. I don't like to beg for reviews, but please please _please_ leave me a comment if you read? I love feedback, positive or negative! Oh, and this is self-beta'd, so any mistakes are totally mine.

* * *

21. Tainted

Charlie stood in the walkway to the Grangers' house looking up in awe. Apparently, Hermione's family had money. _At least I'm prepared if they are total snobs_ he thought to himself as he girded his loins, walked up to door and banged the ornate brass knocker on the door several times. A young maid in a traditional black dress and sensible shoes answered the door, a curious expression on her face.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Uh, yes, ma'am. I'm here to see Mr. Granger."

"Come right in," Miss Pitts smiled sweetly at the tall man in the doorway and turned on her heel to head for the front parlor, Charlie close on her heels. _This must be Hermione's man. He's a cute one, he is, if a little on the quiet side. He'll have to get over that in _this_ family, _Miss Pitts chuckled internally at her thoughts. She had always thought of Hermione as a younger sister, and Hermione, being an only child, had confided several secrets to her, as there was almost no one in her family close to her age. Her long time crush on one Charlie Weasley just happened to be one of those secrets. She showed him to a long settee and turned to leave the room, looking over her shoulder as she reached the door,

"Lord Granger will be with you in a moment." Elsa Pitts headed out to the breakfast nook to retrieve her boss.

"Mr. Granger, there's a young redheaded man here to see you. Rather dishy, if I do say so myself."

"He's here already? It's only been quarter of an hour since Hermione left. He must be anxious. Well, that's not a bad thing. Lead the way, Elsa." Richard replied as he folded his _London Daily_ and stood up, brushing toast crumbs off of his lapels.

Richard followed Miss Pitts into the front parlor, silently chuckling to himself. He supposed Elsa was attempting to intimidate the poor bloke, she really was a bit protective over Hermione, having grown up with her and holding a bit of sisterly affection. Richard strode in and held out his hand to a now standing Charlie Weasley. He was impressed to find a stocky man, with a good strong grip. He had rather expected a man with the same build as Ron, the only one of the Weasley's he had ever met.

"How do you do? You must be Charlie, Hermione mentioned you might stop by before she took off to the neighbors." Richard tactfully skipped over the fact that his neighbors were the Malfoys. Hermione had filled he and Helen in on the long standing fued between the two pureblooded families. Her explanation had reminded him somewhat of Romeo and Juliet, but he didn't think that these boys would appreciate the comparison. There was certainly no love lost between the two families, from what he had been told.

"Yes, Sir, I'm Charlie. I take it I missed Hermione, again." Charlie replied, putting on his most charming smile. From what he had seen so far, he thought he was going to like Richard Granger. The man had an appeal about him that made him seem easygoing and likeable. Charlie didn't beat around the bush, he jumped right in "That's all right, I wanted to talk to you about her, anyway."

"Oh? And what about my niece do you want to discuss?" Richard raised one eyebrow at him as he gestured towards a wingback chair in front of the fireplace, then taking the other.

"Well, if I may be frank, Sir, I truly love your niece, and I want to marry her. As her father has...passed on...I thought...well, I want to ask you for her hand, as you are the closest thing to a father she has." Richard noticed that Charlie was steadily getting more and more flushed, the tops of his ears now the color of boiled lobsters, but the young man's gaze never faltered. Richard automatically respected this young man's courage. His michevious side decided to kick in, and before he could stop himself he found himself asking the question that no boyfriend wants to hear from the future father-in-law, or equivalent."

"Have you and Hermione...slept together?" If Richard hadn't thought Charlie could get any redder, he was sorely mistaken. For the first time since they had sat down, Charlie's gaze faltered and he stuttered his answer.

"I...I..I don't think Hermione would appreciate us discussing her..um...her sex life."

"I see. Of course, you don't want to taint my opinion of you, either." Richard replied, grinning at Charlie. The young man visibly relaxed at his friendly smile.

"I respect Hermion's privacy, sir."

"As do I. Good answer, good answer. Do you play billiards?" Richard asked, standing up. Charlie followed and also stood.

"No, I've never heard of it," Charlie replied, scratching his head, "We don't have much time for games on the Reserve. I think I have time to learn before my appointment this afternoon, though."

* * *

22. Sirens

Charlie apparated to a darkened alley in downtown Paris not far from his solicitor's office. He had decided after the last letter from Hermione, followed by an empassioned night with his right hand, that it was time to make some decisions. His errand this afternoon was to have Hermione named as his next of kin. Charlie was no fool, adrenaline issues aside, and he knew that his job was a rather dangerous one, and the chance for accidents was high. As it stood, his parents were considered his successors, but he wanted to make sure Hermione was well cared for if something should happen to him in the future. He jumped back as a fire truck, sirens blaring, made it's way down the street right in front of him, causing him to shake his head to rid the ringing in his ears as he continued in his walk to his destination.

Half an hour and a sore hand later, he had effectively signed all the necessary paperwork, and inquired about any paperwork necessary for adding a name to his account at Gringott's. His solicitor had smirked as he produced another stack of parchments for Charlie to fill out and sign when he got home, in order to owl them straight to the head goblin at the bank. He shook his head at the stack of paper under his arm as he pressed his wand to the door of the new flat his solicitor had also lined out at his request. He had come to give his final approval on his day off the week before he came to the Burrow on holiday, and was impressed by the three bedroom, two bath flat. Any space constraints could easily be fixed with enlargement charms, one of Hermione's specialties. He grinned as he plopped the stack down on a small table inside the door and looked at the small bit of furniture he had moved from his barrack at the Reserve. He loved when people asked him about the Reserve. They were always surprised to find out that it wasn't a bunch of burly cowboys living in tents next to dragon pens, but rather a very large establishment that looked after several endangered magical creatures, including his favorites (next to the dragons, of course), the golden snidgets. The aviary was his favorite place to compose letters to Hermione, and he was anxious for her to see it. He peeked at his watch, the traditional seventeenth birthday gift from his father, and started at the time. His mum would kill him if he was't back in time for dinner, and he was certain that Hermione owed him an explanation for running off on him that morning.

* * *

23. Rescue

Charlie apparated straight into the back yard of the Burrow, as he was keyed into the wards, and started at the sound of high pitched shrieking. He ran around the house to the broom shed, wand at the ready and slid to a stop in his tracks at the sight before him. Harry and Ron, in their blue Auror's uniforms, had Hermione pinned to the ground and were each tickling her mercilessly, causing her to shriek with laughter.

"Charlie, rescue me!"

"What in Merlin's name is going on here?" Charlie shouted as he waved his wand at the two men, who suddenly found themselves dangling by one ankle in mid-air.

"Oy, Charlie, put us down! We were just having a bit of fun!"

"Oh really? Just what kind of fun were you having tickling my girlfriend to death, eh?" Charlie smirked internaly when Ron's eyes went wide and he stopped wrestling with his robes long enough to pull out his wand and mutter the counter charm, slowly lowering both he and Harry to the ground.

"Really, Charlie. Girlfriend, eh?" He asked, looking at Hermione, who was now blushing prettily and shrugged in a nonchalant way at him.

"We've been writing for months, Ronald, and it just seemed like the next step. We've been erm...dating..for a few weeks now."

"Took ya long enough, mate!" Ron exclaimed, slapping Charlie on the back in a brotherly way. Harry grinned and shook his hand, muttering a soft, "Congratulations."

"Well, then you can help us get Hermione's secret out of her! She won't tell anyone, hence all the tickle torture." Ron grinned at Charlie, as they both turned towards the girl in question.

"Yes, my Kitten's got lots of secrets, apparently. But I don't know this one, either. Care to share, Hermione?" Charlie murmered in her ear as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"No, Charlie, you'll find out at dinner with everyone else. I want it to be a surprise. I do need to have a talk with you. _Alone_." She emphasized the last word while looking directly at Ron. Harry took the hint and grabbed his friend by the elbow, leading him towards the broom shed, suggesting a game of Catch The Snitch before dinner.

Charlie and Hermione sat down on their bench in the garden, and both noticed that it didn't sink. "Humm..we must've hit bedrock." Hermione murmured more to herself than to Charlie, then turned toward him, "So what do you want to talk about?"

* * *

24. Tomorrow

Charlie wasn't quite sure where to begin, although the direct approach had always worked for him in the past, and he thought this time shouldn't be any exception.

"Why'd you run off this morning?"

"I didn't run off, Charlie. You were asleep when I went to the loo, and when I came out, your mum was yelling up the stairs that breakfast was ready."

"I wasn't asleep, Kitten. If you had turned when you picked up my pants..."

"You were watching me?! Oh no..." Hermione turned from him and hid her face in her hands, "I ruined everything..."

"No...Kitten, No..." Charlie pulled her towards him and turned her to face him, "You didn't ruin anything. I was going to wait until Christmas day, but now I don't have to wait so long." Hermione's eyes welled up as he slid off the bench into the cold packed dirt and kneeled before her, taking both her hands into his, looking into her eyes with his intense blue gaze that always made her knees go weak and the butterflies in her stomach to go crazy.

"Hermione Jane Granger, would you marry me?" Charlie asked as he opened the ring box she had seen that morning and slid the ring onto her finger.

Hermione threw her arms around his neck and placed fast kisses all over his face, shouting "Yes!" in between each one. Charlie stopped her long enough to sit down next to her again, brushing the dirt off of his knees, stating flippantly "Mum hates dirt at the dinner table."

"When do you want to tell them?" Hemione asked, looking at the rubies and diamond glinting on her finger.

"How about tomorrow? I don't want to ruin this surpise you have tonight." At that moment, Molly started ringing the triangle that hung on the back door of the Burrow, to notify the entire family that dinner was now ready. In Weasley households that chose to, the sound could be set to reverberate through the entire house or flat, so that everyone in the family would know that they were invited. This small charm was Molly's way of knowing she would see her grandchildren on a regular basis.

"Let's get washed up for dinner, Love. I can't wait to hear what this surprise is."

Hermione grinned in response and kissed Charlie on the tip of his nose before replying, "Oh, trust me, you'll like it."

* * *

25. Tryst

The entire Weasley family had gathered for dinner again, and were all stuffed full of roast chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, rich gravy and bright cranberry sause. Molly had outdone herself yet again, and they hadn't even had pudding. After the homemade blueberry crumble and vanilla ice cream had been served, Hermione tapped her water glass gently with her spoon, as she had seen her Aunt Helen do so many times, and cleared her throat as the general chaos died down into a silence so thick you could hear a pin drop.

"I have an announcement to make, everyone, as some of you already know." Hermione waited a beat as she glowered at Harry and Ron, who were both trying their best to hide their grins. Hermione continued with her speech, "I put in for my vacation at work about a week ago, hence all the days off, so that I could be around during the holidays."

"That's wonderful, dear, you know how much we love to have you here." Molly said, grinning at the girl she had come to love as her own daughter.

"Yes, um, about that, I took two weeks, and I won't be going back. I also put in a notice the same day." Hemione grinned at the stunned expressions on each face. Hermione Granger never quit anything in her life.

"But, Love," Charlie asked, not noticing the start from his mother at the chosen pet name, "Why'd you quit your job? I thought you loved working in the Magical Creatures department?"

"I did, Charlie, really, I did, but I didn't feel as if I was doing any good. You know it was mostly paperwork, and I was offered a better job where I could affect more change."

"Oh, really?" Charlie raised an eyebrow, "And just where might this better job be?" He had a distinct feeling he knew the answer.

"The North Carpathian Animal Reserve." Hermione stated and waited for the chaos to ensue. She was surprised when she heard clapping, and George let out a whistle.

"Congratulations, Hermione, dear. We're all proud of you, and we all knew how much you disliked working in the ministry," Molly beamed, "But, where will you live, in the dorms there?"

"Things haven't really been decided yet, Molly, there's still a few things I have to, um, go over before any final arrangements are made." Hermione replied while squeezing Charlie's leg. She could feel the cold metal of her engagement ring pressing into her leg from her robe pocket. For the sake of sanity, she and Charlie had decided on the way into the kitchen that since they weren't to announce their engagement until the following day,she wouldn't put the ring on until the next morning.

Bill, Percy, Fred and their families all went home right after dinner, and Harry, Ginny and Ron all flooed to Grimmauld Place after visiting with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for about a half hour, long enough for their dinner to settle enough for the spinning of floo travel. Luna hadn't come to dinner as she had a late night editorial at the Quibbler offices that she wanted to get written before she took off for the holiday.

"We're headed to bed, dears," Molly stated as she led a yawning Arthur up the stairs towards the bedroom. Molly knew about Hermione and Charlie's trysts over the past few days, and she was anxious for them to spend as much time as they could together over the holidays, before they both had to go back to grind of every day routine. Hermione lay down on the couch, her head in Charlie's lap, and he promptly started running his fingers through her hair.

"Charlie?" She asked, turning her head toward his rippled stomach and running her hand up his side, then cupping his cheek, feeling the stubble growing along his jaw.

"Yes, Kitten," he mumbled in reply as he nuzzled her hand, placing a butterfly kiss on her palm.

"Why do you want to marry me?"

"Because I love you, Hermione. Only because I love you."

"I love you too, Charlie." With that, her breathing evened out and he realized that she had fallen asleep in his arms.


	6. Part 6

**A/N: Well, here it is, the last of this story. Beware, cavity-inducing fluffiness abounds in this chapter! If you're a fluff fanatic, this is the chapter for you, trust me. It does get a bit lemony close to the end, but nothing like the previous parts (evil grin). Anyhoo, thanks for reading!**

**disclaimer: I don't own HP or any of it's characters, they are credited to the wonderful J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury books, Warner Bros, etc. I'm certainly not making any money from this, or I wouldn't have to get up and go to work in the morning.**

26. Rose

Hermione woke early the next morning in her own bed, not entirely sure how she got there. The last thing she remembered was laying her head in Charlie's lap. She grinned at the thought of him carrying her up the steps and putting her to bed. As she sat up and looked around, she noticed two long stemmed roses on her desk, one red and one white, a folded piece of parchment under them. She bounced out of bed, a large grin on her face as she picked up one of the roses and sniffed of it. She tranfigured her pencil jar into a vase and cast an _aquamenti_ charm, filling it up with water before placing the two roses into it. She opened up the parchment and smiled at Charlie's familiar scrawl.

_Good morning beautiful, I found these in mum's garden, and I thought of you. The red one is for my undying love for you and the white one is to celebrate our upcoming marriage. I can't wait until I can stay with you every night. Now, prepare yourself for the day by packing a bag, as I'm taking you on a trip to see your Christmas gift from me, since you already know the first half of it, I can give you the second half a bit early, and we can be back at the Burrow to spend the holiday with the family, as I'm sure you want to. I'll be waiting downstairs for you. I love you. -Charlie_

Hermione grinned and refolded the parchment, placing it in her warded top drawer along with all of the other letters Charlie had written her over the past months and her personal journal. She took a few deep breaths and composed herself, slipping her engagement finger onto the third finger of her left hand before getting dressed for the day. She proceeded to get dressed, then placed an emty suitcase on her bed and flicked her wand at it, silently commanding her clothes to neatly pack themselves. Yes, some things were just done better by magic, she thought to herself as she headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

* * *

27. Satin

Hermione had barely stepped into the kitchen and greeted Molly before the matriarch of the Weasley clan noticed her engagement ring. Molly wisely stayed quiet, knowing that Hermione and Charlie would want to make the announcement themselves. Hermione sat down at the table between Charlie and Harry and began to heartily dig into her breakfast, wondering if anything could bring her down from her natural high, although she highly doubted it. She was half way through her eggs before she heard a loud "bloody hell!" from across the table.

"Is something the matter, Ronald?" Hermione asked, looking up at her friend of several years, who was gaping at her left hand.

"No wonder you wanted to talk alone yesterday." Ron replied, finally putting two and two together.

"Yes, thank you for that stunning show of your powers of deductions. We had planned on announcing it at dinner, Ron." Charlie replied, wiping his mouth on a napkin, "But I should have known better than to try to keep a secret in _this_ family."

"Congratulations, Hermione, you deserve to be happy." Harry stated quietly from her other side, squeezing her hand in a show of brotherly affection. She smiled in response.

"I'm so happy for you, and Hermione, if you'd like, I have a pretty satin shawl you can wear with your gown, after you get one, of course." Molly stated, hugging both Charlie and Hermione from behind their chairs then going back to the kitchen to finish her own breakfast. She didn't mind cooking for all of her children and their significant others, as she knew that if she didn't, they would hardly eat, and certainly not healthily. Molly had already started making wedding plans in her head, and hoped that Hermione would allow her to help, as she had started thinking of the girl as another daughter in the past few years.

As if reading Molly's thoughts, Hermione walked into the kitchen to place her empty plate in the basin, and gave the older woman a tight hug before replying, "I'd love to wear your shawl, and I would love it if you would help me with the planning. I'm sure you've some wonderful ideas, as you've already gone through three other weddings and I've no experience whatsoever."

Molly nodded, not knowing if she could speak without her voice cracking, although she had a huge smile on her face. Hermione helped her clean up the kitchen as the others scattered off to work or to run last minute errands before Christmas.

* * *

28. Velvet

About an hour later, Charlie and Hermione walked toward the wards surrounding the Burrow, both carrying their overnight bags, to apparate to their destination. Charlie held out his elbow and grinned.

"Hold tight to me, since I don't want to tell you where we're going."

"Just don't splinch me, Weasley." Hermione replied in a mocking tone. She had teased Charlie mercilessly about failing his apparition test the first time.

"I wont, Granger." Charlie replied, grinning lasciviously at her, "Trust me, I want you in one piece when we get there." Hermione felt her knees weaken at Charlie's intense stare. A pop later, and they were standing on a wide avenue, with a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Hermione looked around, her eyes growing wide.

"Paris?" She asked, not sure she wanted to believe her suspicions.

"Paris," Charlie confirmed, taking her hand and leading her down the street a ways to a low building with several townhouses in a row. He stopped at the third one and pulled out two keys, and turned to her before continuing, "If you like it, our new home. If not, we'll find something else."

Hermione's eyes grew wide at the key he held out to her, and she took it with shaking hands. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't a _house_. Her lower lip trembled a bit as she stuck the key in the lock and turned the bolt before stepping inside. She didn't want Charlie to see her cry, but she didn't think she could hold the floodgates much longer as she looked around the sweet little flat. There were three bedrooms, two decent sized bathrooms, a large kitchen and a large den, perfect for the two of them to start a family of their own, and if she needed to she could enlarge the rooms to fit her needs.

"What do you think?" Charlie asked, not sure what to make of her initial reaction, and she had yet to say anything.

"Oh, Charlie, it's wonderful! Thank you so much, but you didn't have to do all of this..."

"I wanted to." Charlie replied as he pulled her to him, just as the tears started to flow down her cheeks. She pulled away, wiping futilely at her eyes when she heard a small mew from somewhere behind her. She turned around and followed the noise, the mewing getting louder as she reached the back patio. She unlocked and flung the door open to reveal a small bedraggled calico kitten sitting on the doorstop, begging for food and shelter. As softhearted as Hermione was, she couldn't resist picking the little fellow up and rubbing a hand across his head, smoothing down the velvety fur. She cradled him in her arms as she turned to Charlie, who was also a sucker for helpless animals, and asked,

"Oh, Charlie, it looks like we have a new pet."

Charlie chuckled to himself as he watched Hermione conjure a bowl of cream for the new member of their family and setting it down for him to attack before turning back to Charlie and stepping into his embrace again. He kissed the top of her head, then hooked a finger under her chin and kissed her softly on the lips. Everything was changing for them, fort the better, and Charlie couldn't imagine being happier as he mumbled "Merry Christmas, Kitten" across her lips before kissing her again.

* * *

29. Whisper

The next June, as Charlie and Hermione slowly twirled around the dance floor, gazing lovingly into each other eyes, the rest of the world seemed to melt away. When the orchestra started to play a faster number, Charlie led Hermione gently off the dance floor and toward the main table, where they were expected to cut the cake within the next few minutes.

Among cheers, whistles and catcalls, they placed their hands together on the cake server and cut one slice of cake, each taking a handful to feed each other before drinking a toast. Hermione gently placed her handful in Charlie's mouth, he chewed with a thoughtful look on his face before grinning mischievously at her and shoving his entire handful across her mouth, managing to get smear it everywhere but into her mouth. He waved broadly at the assembled wedding guests before throwing his arms around her waist and apparating them both to their new flat. As he laid her on their marriage bed, he licked the icing off of his face before leaning down and suckling her earlobe gently. He felt himself harden when she let out a soft moan. As he began removing her dress, he whispered softly in her ear,

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, Charlie" She whispered back as he finally managed to pull the stockings off her legs and stood to work on his tux. He managed the bowtie and vest before Hermione sat up to unbutton his shirt. She placed butterfly kisses across his broad chest as she pushed the shirt off his shoulders. He reached around her with both hands and unclasped her brassiere, pulling it gently off her arms and letting it fall to the ground as he lay her back onto the bed, then removed his shoes, socks and pants as fast as humanly possible.

"Gee, Charlie, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were a bit randy." Hermione teased, grinning mischeviously.

"You know damn well I'm horny, Hermione, as mum saw fit to keep us seperated for the last month before the wedding. I can't wait any longer, I need you." Charlie pulled off his boxers as he claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss, making her whimper in response. Charlie ran his hands down her sides to the top of her knickers and hooked his fingers around the elastic, yanking them down her legs. He held the knickers up and looked at them, one eyebrow raised.

"White, Hermione? Not your normal style."

"They went with the dress. You're not the only one that's randy, you know." Hermione whimpered as she arched her back towards him. He took the hint and aimed his member at her womanhood and they both sighed in satisfaction as he buried himself up to the hilt. He set a steady rythym, hoping he would last a little while, as it had been several days since he had even had a date with rosy palm and her five sisters.

A few minutes later, Hermione felt the tell tale tightening in her lower belly and she whimpered in a certain way, letting Charlie know that she was close. He reached down and flicked her clit a few times, making her come unhinged with a low, keening cry as she bit into his shoulder. He followed not long after, with a mix between a whimper and a grunt, before rolling off to the side and pulling her to him. They both fell into a deep, satisfied sleep, smiles on their faces.

* * *

30. Two

About six weeks later, Charlie came home from work one afternoon to any empty house. Wondering what could have happened to Hermione, as she always came home earlier than him, he started dinner, thinking that she may have stayed over to work on her pet projects. She had taken a special interest lately in preserving kneazles, as several poachers were running the species extinct due to the price of their fur skyrocketing. Just as Charlie was putting the finishing touches on dinner, he heard the door open and close, and saw Hermione plop down onto the sofa in the den. Knowing something wasn't quite right with his wife, he placed warming charms over the food and sat down on the couch next to her, pulling her into his arms quietly, knowing she would tell him her problems in her own time.

After about thirty minutes of cuddling, Hermione turned her face up to him and explained, "I had a healer's appointment this afternoon. Remember, I've been waking up ill several mornings and I thought it might be a case of the flu?" Charlie nodded, remembering all to well holding his beloved wife's hair back as she dry heaved into the commode. He had encouraged her to go to the healer then, but she had insisted she felt better by lunch time. "Well, I told your mum about my symptoms and she suggested that I should go anyway, just to make sure everything was all right. So, I went to Healer Derwynt this afternoon, and she ran all the typical tests, and I found out what was going on." Hermione fell quiet again, not sure how she was going to break the news to Charlie, as she wasn't quite sure how soon he wanted to start a family. She looked into the kitchen and saw the dinner Charlie had made, spaghetti, one of her favorites. She was actually quite hungry and didn't want the warming charms to wear off. She looked at Charlie, a slight smile playing on her lips. Her huband was always so quiet and patient with her, she knew he would be a wonderful father.

"Let's go ahead an eat, before the warming charms wear off." Hermione suggested, standing up and helping Charlie up.

"All right, if you want." Charlie replied, wondering what the Healer had said, but he didn't want to push Hermione, as she had been a bit testy lately.

"I hope you made plenty, as I'm eating for two now." Hermione remarked as she sat down, wondering if Charlie would get the hint. Apparently, he did, as his eyes grew wide and he gaped like a fish out of water for a few minutes before smiling brightly and grabbing her and spinning her around. He put her back on her feet before grabbing her hands and asking,

"You mean you're..." Hermione grinned and nodded in answer.

"I'm gonna be a daddy. You're going to a mum. Oh, Kitten, this is great!" Charlie replied as they sat back down to eat.

"I'm glad you think so, Charlie, I was really nervous about telling you." Hermione said, blushing a bit. Charlie chuckled in response, leave it to Hermione to think he would be bothered by her getting pregnant. He had wanted a family of his own since his Hogwarts days, and his wonderful wife had provided it for him. He couldn't have been happier, and to think, all he thought he had wanted was a shag.

**End Notes: So, this is the end, I really hope you enjoyed it! I'm not a big review whore, but I do appreciate each and every one, and I'll try my best to respond to them!**


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